Long Story Short

Skye & Amanda are back with a part two to their professional development discussion. After going through the upsetting stats that make it very clear where Black women fall in the pay wage gap, they revisit Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning Into a Career You’ll Love by Kimberly B. Cummings and dive into her chapters on advocating for yourself and negotiating your salary.  The two open up abou...

After reading Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning Into a Career You’ll Love by Kimberly B. Cummings, Skye and Amanda are discussing their own professional development. In the book, Cummings uses her years of experience as a former career development advisor to guide readers toward utilizing their highest potential, skills and passion to strategically ensure success in their careers.  With such dif...

This week the ladies switch it up, as Amanda goes into the book talk blind. She listens as Skye reads a true crime article from Vanity Fair. “The Body in Room 348” tells the story of Greg Fleniken, a middle-aged popular gas and oil man who is found dead in his room at the Eleganté Hotel in Houston Texas. Detectives have no explanation for Fleniken’s bizarre death or who would want to harm him. Lis...

Skye and Amanda are both experiencing burn out, so they thought it would be the perfect time to read Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily & Amelia Nagowski. The book breaks down the stress cycle and the scientific importance of dealing with your stress as a separate process from dealing with the things that cause your stress.  Listen in as the ladies define the stress cyc...

This week Skye & Amanda take a break from reading altogether and have a much-needed shoot the shit session. Listen in as the two have random conversations ranging from check-ins, first loves, and favorite summer moments. And in true Long Story Short fashion, the conversation leads back to a book they have discussed to tie their discussion in.  Tune in to hear the ladies compare their “Before 4...

This week Skye & Amanda read a Positive Psychology article titled “Cognitive Distortions: When Your Brain Lies to You” by Courtney E. Ackerman, MA and discuss the ways that we all tend to have errors in our thinking, that can impact the way we see ourselves, those around us and the world.  The two define cognitive distortion and its tie to our survival instincts, as well as coping mechanisms....

After discussing erotic intelligence last week, Skye & Amanda decide to give erotic a go. The two read Erotique Noire/Black Erotica, an anthology of literature that explores and celebrates Black sensuality. They each give their honest opinions about whether the book met their erotic expectations and question what exactly it is they are looking for in a hot and steamy story. Amanda realized her...

On this week’s episode, Skye and Amanda explore the question, is it possible to keep desire alive in a long term secure relationship? After reading Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence by reowned couples therapist, Esther Perel, who challenges our idea of modern love and sex in relationships, the two discuss finding the balance between love and sexual desire.  Listen in to hear the l...

This week Skye & Amanda read The Games Black Girls Play by Kyra Gaunt, where Gaunt explores how the traditions of black music are intertwined in the games black girls grow up with. The ladies go down memory lane thinking of all of their girlhood fun from hand clapping songs to double dutch to cheer & dance routines. The two also discussed the forms of play that they would like to incorpora...

On this week's episode, Skye & Amanda are debunking the myth of adulthood. After reading the article, "For Millenials, The Dream of Adulthood is Dead- & That's OK," the two discuss what being an "adult" really means to them and how societal expectations no longer apply. Considering all that millennials have gone through, the ladies discuss the factors and deci...

It’s the one year anniversary of the Long Story Short podcast. To celebrate, Skye & Amanda look back on the past year, discussing their feelings on having been committed to the show for this amount of time and the ways that the podcast has changed their lives for the better.   Hear about each of their favorite episodes, which ones they’ve had the most fun doing and which episodes were the toug...

On this week’s episode Skye & Amanda are unpacking what it truly means to be a minimalist. The two read a book that they have both been excited to get their hands on; newly released, The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less by Christine Platt. After gushing about their love for Platt, they each give their overall thoughts on the book, the difference between their original idea of mi...

In this week’s episode the ladies are back with another TV x book hybrid episode! This time they’re giving book recommendations to the cast of The Best Man (1999 Movie). Skye & Amanda explain how rewatching the show recently has changed their original point of view and why it was completely necessary to talk about their thoughts. Hear the two discuss whether or not they would put up with any o...

The break is over! Skye & Amanda are back with all new episodes. Hear a bit of how each of the ladies spent their time off. Before they hop into their book talk for the week, Skye gives her take of the long awaited, Life After Death by Sister Soulja (spoilers are given).  The two start their summer off with the newly released romance novel, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Listen in as Skye...

We all make mistakes but do we all know how to apologize to those we hurt, disappoint or frustrate? This week Skye & Amanda read When Sorry Isn’t Enough by Gary Chapman & Jennifer Thomas and discuss the 5 apology languages. The two break down Chapman and Thomas’ approach to forgiveness and reconciliation through understanding and becoming fluent in the ways that we each need to give/receiv...

This week Skye & Amanda are joined by their Historian Homie and host of the That Wasn’t in My Textbook podcast, Toya aka Toya From Harlem. The two get to know more about Toya as a fellow avid reader and learn the inspiration behind her podcast that uncovers the things that we didn’t learn in textbooks at school.   The ladies have a book talk about one of their latest reads, Black Girl, Call Ho...

On this week’s episode Skye & Amanda talk boundaries. The two rave about their recent read, Set Boundaries, Find Peace by therapist, Nedra Glover Tawwab. Tawwab is an expert in relationship building and cultivating healthy boundaries with ourselves and others.  The ladies share Tawwab’s definition of a boundary, signs you’re in need of healthier boundaries, the 3 levels of boundaries and the 2...

This week Skye & Amanda read Women, Food, and Desire by Alexandra Jamieson and begin a conversation around their individual relationships with food and how much of it is tied to something much deeper than what’s on their plate. The two talk about their cravings patterns and how much willpower they feel that they have around giving into them. Jamieson’s point around the fact that we inherit eat...

The ladies are back with another TV x book hybrid episode! This week they’re giving book recommendations to the five couples on the latest season of Married at First Sight. Skye & Amanda explain the premise of the show’s experiment and each give their overall thoughts. Hear the two discuss whether or not they would sign themselves up for a modern day arranged marriage and Skye’s idea for a les...

So often you’ll hear Skye & Amanda say “it stems from childhood” and this week they take a look at what that really means. The two read The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller and discuss the effects that repressed childhood emotions and memories can have on us as adults.  The ladies break down Miller’s definition of “gifted” and find out that it's less about intelligence or talent,...

April is Financial Literacy month, so this week Skye & Amanda are talking dollars! The two read You’re a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero and take a deep dive into their personal relationships with money. They discuss what their childhood thoughts were on money based on what they saw and heard in the household and they each consider all of the ways that it has impacted how they’ve viewed...

This week Skye and Amanda have fun reading Black Sun Signs: An African-American Guide to the Zodiac by Thelma Belfour and discussing their overall thoughts on astrology. The two go into Belfour’s definition of the sun sign, which element each sign falls under and who are known to be most compatible.  From the positive and negative personalities trait to dating and sexual behavior to how they groce...

*trigger warning - this episode mentions suicide*  This week Skye & Amanda read Soothe Your Nerves: The Black Women’s Guide to Understanding & Overcoming Anxiety, Panic and Fear by Dr Angela Barnett and have a discussion around their personal experiences with anxiety.  Listen in to hear Dr. Barnett’s definitions of anxiety and fear and learn the main psychological, environmental and biolog...

This week the ladies are talking sex! Skye & Amanda discuss their recent read, Stolen Women: Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives by Dr. Gail Elizabeth Wyatt and give their thoughts around what ended up being an insightful history lesson on the myths and stereotypes that surround the sexuality of Black women, dating back to pre-slavery.  The two open up about their early years - whe...

On this week’s episode, Skye & Amanda are joined by Dunni and Taleah, the hosts of Beauty Needs Me, a podcast centered around a holistic 360 view on beauty that includes the mind, body and soul. Dunni and Taleah open up about their experience working together on the podcast and what they’ve learned about themselves and each other through the process.  Long Story Short wouldn’t be complete with...